Abstract: In order to investigate effects of assembly temperature on thermal reological lubricating performance with load impact in ball bearings, by using the Eyring shear-thinning fluid, a thermal reological elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) model with a load impact in ball bearings was established. The model considered differences of the temperature between the assembly and the supplied oil. Multi-grid method and the numerical technique for time-dependent, reology and temperature field were used. Effects of the assembly temperature on the thermal reological lubricating performance of the dynamic oil film were investigated, and phenomena of thermal failure at extreme cases were analyzed as well. Results show that, differring from the convertional solution, the assembly temperature has much more influence on thermal EHL performance of the dynamic oil film. The higher the temperature of the ball, the less the film thickness and the frictional coefficient. At extreme cases, phenomena of high pressure, high temperature, and thin film appear for a bearing inner race-rolling element contact. Moreover, the temperature of the bearing inner race is up to the first critical temperature of desorption for the boundary film. In addition, the bearing inner race-ball contact is in a state of mixed lubrication. Therefore, effects of the temperature field in ball bearings should be considered in analysis of non-steady state thermal reological EHL.

Key words: ball bearing, temperature of assembly, load impact, dynamic film, thermal failure